PLASKI, Oct 11 (Hina) - The 60th anniversary of the second session of the Croatian Anti-Fascist Parliament (known as ZAVNOH), which took place from 12 to 14 October 1943, was marked on Saturday in the town of Plaski (some 90
kilometres south-west of Zagreb), under the auspices of the Croatian parliament.
PLASKI, Oct 11 (Hina) - The 60th anniversary of the second session
of the Croatian Anti-Fascist Parliament (known as ZAVNOH), which
took place from 12 to 14 October 1943, was marked on Saturday in the
town of Plaski (some 90 kilometres south-west of Zagreb), under the
auspices of the Croatian parliament. #L#
At the ceremony, organised by the Association of Anti-Fascist
Fighters of Croatia and local authorities, wreaths were laid in
front of the bust of the ZAVNOH chairman, famous Croatian writer
Vladimir Nazor, by envoys of Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, and
a delegation of the Croatian parliament, while local anti-Fascist
veterans' associations and WW2 veterans' associations from Bosnia-
Herzegovina and Slovenia placed wreaths at the common grave of dead
victims of fascism in a nearby memorial park.
Professor Petar Strcic, a member of the Croatian Academy of Arts and
Sciences (HAZU) said that some had forgotten in recent years that
ZAVNOH and not the Independent State of Croatia (led by Ustasha
regime) was the predecessor of the Republic of Croatia.
"Scholars have established on the basis of facts that of 12 original
elements of Croatia's statehood, ZAVNOH plays the most important
role as the predecessor of the Republic of Croatia," Strcic said.
Zdenko Haramija, an envoy of the Croatian Parliament's president,
Zlatko Tomcic, recalled that it was ZAVNOH which at its 4th session
in Zagreb decided to change its name into 'Narodni Sabor Hrvatske'
(which means the national parliament of Croatia).
Haramija went to say that ZAVNOH was formally and really the
predecessor of the present-day parliament. In addition, ZAVNOH was
the crucial element leading to the territorial integrity of
Croatia, because to its decision on reintegration of Istria,
Rijeka, Zadar, islands and some other areas to the Croatian
mainland, he explained.
President Mesic's envoy Igor Dekanic said ZAVNOH was the basic
point for the country's legal and constitutional order.
Furthermore, during the Second World War, Croatia considerably
contributed to the fight against fascism and "anti-fascism united
Europe and many other countries into a great anti-fascist coalition
which led to the set-up of the United Nations and the united
contemporary Europe," Dekanic said.
The bust of Vladimir Nazor, the first chairman of the ZAVNOH was put
back on its base yesterday despite opposition of Croat settlers who
have arrived in Plaski from Bosnia-Herzegovina since 1995. During
the occupation of this area by Serb rebels in early 1990s the bust
was removed. After the Storm liberating operation in August 1995,
the bust was found and renovated. In the meantime, Bosnian Croat
settlers engraved the Croatian coat of arms and words of the
national anthem on the free base and held wreath-laying ceremonies
on national holidays. Therefore they opposed the set-up of Nazor's
bust. However, the bust was placed back on its base on Friday when
the police had to intervene to defuse tensions.
There were no incidents at today's ceremony.
(hina) ms